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Page 1: WWF-UK our key issuesassets.wwf.org.uk/downloads/1734_wwf_issues_final.pdf · elephants,great apes,marine turtles,rhinos,tigers and whales. These charismatic creatures inspire conservation

WWF-UKPanda HouseWeyside ParkGodalmingGU7 1XR

t: 01483 426444f: 01483 426409

WWF CymruBaltic HouseMount Stuart SquareCardiffCF10 5FH

t: 029 2045 4970f: 029 2045 1306

WWF Northern Ireland13 West StreetCarrickfergusCo AntrimBT38 7AR

t: 028 9355 5166f: 028 9336 4448

WWF Scotland8 The SquareAberfeldyPerthshirePH15 2DD

t: 01887 820449f: 01887 829453

www.wwf.org.uk

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WWF-UKOUR KEY ISSUES

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CONTENTS

2 MUCH MORE THAN WILDLIFE

6 CONSERVING RARE AND ENDANGERED

SPECIES

PROTECTING ENDANGERED SPACES

10 FORESTS

16 RIVERS AND WETLANDS

20 SEAS AND COASTS

ADDRESSING GLOBAL THREATS TO NATURE

23 CLIMATE CHANGE

28 TOXIC CHEMICALS

Page 3: WWF-UK our key issuesassets.wwf.org.uk/downloads/1734_wwf_issues_final.pdf · elephants,great apes,marine turtles,rhinos,tigers and whales. These charismatic creatures inspire conservation

Working directly to protectspecies – such as the black rhinofrom poaching – is just one piecein a complex conservation jigsaw.

We need to protect and manage the places in which animal species live – the forests, rivers, wetlands and seas.

Our use of energy creates CO2, the main global warming gas, which isalready damaging places like the Arctic and its communities and wildlife.

MUCH MORE THAN WILDLIFE

WWF is renowned for its work to

protect rare and endangered species.

But this is just one important piece

in a complex, conservation jigsaw.

To be successful in conserving endangered animalspecies, we need to protect and manage the placesin which they live – the forests, rivers, wetlands and seas.

Species and habitats are also under threat becauseof our attitudes and behaviour – particularly ourconsumption of natural resources. For example, therhino is clearly under threat as long as its horn isused in Traditional Chinese Medicine; forests arethreatened by our demand for wood and paper; andour use of energy creates carbon dioxide – the mainglobal warming gas – which is already damagingplaces such as the Arctic, as well as itscommunities and wildlife.

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For people and nature We all enjoy and depend on the natural world. Not only for its outstanding beauty, but also for themany services and resources it provides – such asfreshwater, fuel and food.

But often it is the world’s poorest people who suffermost from environmental degradation. For example,forests are essential to the lives and livelihoods of most of the 1.2 billion peoplewho live inextreme povertyaround the world.

That is why

WWF is working

to integrate its

conservation goals

with the needs of

the world’s people

– particularly the

most vulnerable.

Forests are essential to the lives and livelihoods of most of the 1.2 billionpeople who live in extreme poverty.

Species, spaces andglobal threats to natureWWF-UK is part of a globalnetwork, with 52 offices working in more than 90 countries. In 2002alone, WWF spent £154 million to furtherits conservation goals.

Globally the WWF network takes action to:

• conserve endangered species – suchas tigers, great apes and whales;

• protect endangered spaces – the forests, rivers, wetlands and seas;

• address global threats to nature – such as climate change and toxic chemicals.

Seeking sustainable solutionsWorking with partnersin the UK and overseas– such as governmentsand aid agencies,businesses andschools, supportersand the wider public –WWF-UK seekssustainable solutionsto these pressingconservationproblems.

5

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A quarter of mammals are currently threatened with extinction.

SPECIES

THE PROBLEM OUTLINED

The world’s species are threatened with extinctionA report by the United Nations EnvironmentProgramme indicates that a quarter of mammalsare currently threatened with extinction.

The effect will be felt by people tooThis not only means that many of the animals we cherish could disappear for ever. It is also aclear indication that the environment we all relyon – for food, water, fresh air and medicine – isseriously under threat and that adequate solutionsare yet to be found.

The threats to species are manyHabitat loss and wildlife trade are among the key threats. As habitats disappear, animals can nolonger roam freely, which inhibits breeding andmakes small populations particularly vulnerable.

Direct encounters with man, in and aroundNational Parks, can result in conflict and even

death of both humans and animals. This putsfurther pressure on the species’ survival chances.

THE FUTURE

Taking action for endangered speciesWe need to stop the illegal wildlife trade, reduceand repair habitat loss, and increase populations ofvulnerable species by reconnecting protected areasand forging links between isolated populations.

WHAT IS WWF DOING?

Protecting the world’s rare and endangered speciesAlong with the rest of the global network, WWF-UK focuses particular attention on a small numberof globally important ‘flagship’ species, such aselephants, great apes, marine turtles, rhinos, tigersand whales. These charismatic creatures inspireconservation efforts for themselves – and for thethousands of lesser-known, but vitally important,plants and animals with which they co-exist.

WWF is investing in action plans for species’survival, which in many cases focus onreconnecting isolated, protected areas.

The illegal wildlife trade has driven many endagered species to the brinkof extinction.

6 CONSERVING ENDANGERED SPECIES CONSERVING ENDANGERED SPECIES 7

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SOME SUCCESS STORIES

ElephantsThe Selous National Park is now home to morethan 60,000 elephants and this population hasdoubled in the last 15 years. With WWF supportfor anti-poaching operations, last year marked thefirst time in 14 years that the park recorded noelephant poaching.

Mountain gorilla Thanks to effective conservation, in particular theefforts of the International Gorilla ConservationProgramme (a joint programme of Fauna and FloraInternational, African Wildlife Foundation andWWF), the last decade has seen the mountaingorilla population increase from 620 animals in1989 to 700 today.

RhinosBetween 1970 and 1987, the population of Kenyanblack rhinos fell from 20,000 animals to an all timelow of just 381. Due to intensive conservationefforts by WWF and its partners, numbers haveincreased to approximately 425 animals today.

Due to effective conservation by WWF and its partners, the last decade has seen the mountain gorilla population increase to 700 animals.

TigersIn the early 1990s the tiger population in theRussian Far East was in free-fall, due to poachingfor their use in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Afternine years of anti-poaching work, supported byWWF, patrols have stabilised this tiger population,confiscating 60 tiger skins and seizing more than1,700 weapons from wildlife trade criminals.

WWF-UK and TRAFFIC’s Wildlife Trade Campaign With more than a million items seized by HMCustoms between 1996 and 2000, the UK is amajor centre for the illegal wildlife trade.

Although the lawsgoverning our bordersare strong, once withinthe UK a trader couldn’tbe arrested for selling a tiger skin or any other internationallyrecognised endangeredspecies.

In November 2003, after successful campaigningby WWF-UK and TRAFFIC, an amendment to theCriminal Justice Bill was finally passed. Wildlifetrade crime in the UK now carries a maximumsentence of five years – thereby making it anarrestable offence.

We have produced a leaflet, ‘Protecting The World’sEndangered Species’, which gives a comprehensiveintroduction to our species work. It can be ordered by calling our Supporter Care team on 01483 426444.

For more information about WWF-UK’s Species Programme, visit our website: www.wwf.org.uk/researcher/issues/rarespecies

WILDLIFE TRADE

Stop Illegal

8 CONSERVING ENDANGERED SPECIES CONSERVING ENDANGERED SPECIES 9

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10 PROTECTING ENDANGERED SPACES

FORESTS

THE PROBLEM OUTLINED

The world’s forests are disappearingForests – the lungs and pharmacy of the world –once covered more than half the Earth. Today, theycover only a third. And of those remaining, onlyaround 10 per cent are protected.

Some 14.6 million hectares of natural forest are losteach year – an area larger than England! And everyminute, around 30 hectares of forest disappear –that’s roughly the size of 37 football pitches.

Wildlife and vulnerable people are bearing the bruntForests contain as much as two-thirds of all plantand animals species. Yet between 1970 and 2000,populations of forest species declined by about 15 per cent.

Often it is the poor who bear the brunt of forestdepletion., for forests are essential to the lives andlivelihoods of most of the 1.2 billion people wholive in extreme poverty around the world.

A human-induced problemAt least 90 per cent of forest loss is caused byhuman activities. The ceaseless spread of urbandevelopment, illegal logging, forest clearance (foragriculture or plantations), road building, mining,forest fires and climate change all contribute to the loss of forests.

THE FUTURE

Forests for LifeThe problems facing the world’s forests are toolarge for any one group to tackle alone. That’s whyin 1996, WWF launched its global Forest for Lifeprogramme. Working in almost 70 countries, withpartners such as the World Bank, Ikea and the WorldConservation Union, WWF aims to protect, manageand restore the world’s most important forests.

PROTECTING ENDANGERED SPACES 11

An area of natural forest larger than England is lost each year. At least 90 per cent of forest loss is caused by human activities. All thetimber and nearly all the paper products we use come from forests.

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WHAT IS WWF DOING?

ProtectingOver the next decade, WWF will create a network of

protected areas for the world’s threatened and most

important forest regions.

Since the mid-1990s, protected areas coveringmore than 100 million hectares of forest have beencreated or had their management improved, withcommitments from governments to protect afurther 70 million hectares. Much of this is as aresult of campaigning by WWF. However, only 10 per cent of the world’s forests are protected.

WWF-UK is working in Colombia, Mexico, thesouth-west Mediterranean, Nepal, east Africa andthe island of New Guinea to achieve these goals.

Mexico’s Forest Programme

Mexico’s forests, covering more than a quarter ofthe country’s land mass, are globally outstandingin terms of their biodiversity. They contain 50 percent of all pine species in the world, a remarkable135 species of oak, and mammals such as thejaguar, puma, river otter and rare pygmy skunk.

Mexico is also one of the few countries in theworld where nearly all the forests – some 80 per cent – are owned by indigenous and localcommunities. Forests are therefore critical to thewell-being of Mexico’s rural poor because they are one of their main sources of income.

However, Mexico’s forests are being lost at analarming rate: indeed, an area more than twice thesize of Scotland has been lost in the last 40 years.

WWF-UK’s Mexico Forests Programme aims to reduce the loss of forest resources, increase thearea of protected forest, promote sustainable forestmanagement and improve the livelihoods ofpeople who depend on forests.

ManagingGlobally, WWF is aiming for at least 100 million hectares of

independently certified forests around the world, representing

the widest diversity of forest types and management systems

by 2005.

All the timber and nearly all the paper productsused in everyday life come from forests. With thishuge demand it is essential that these forests aremanaged sustainably.

Forest Stewardship Council

WWF supports good forestmanagement and crediblecertification. Currently only theForest Stewardship Council (FSC)meets WWF’s criteria for aninternational system of credible certification.

WWF has played a leading role in establishing theFSC, and products that come from well-managedforests carry the ‘tick tree’ trademark that was

Mexico is one of the few countries in the world where nearly all the forestsare owned by indigenous and other communities.

12 PROTECTING ENDANGERED SPACES PROTECTING ENDANGERED SPACES 13

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launched in 1996. It can be found on thousands oftimber, paper and other forest products in retailstores and DIY outlets.

The WWF-UK Forest and Trade Network

The WWF-UK Forest and Trade Network (formerlythe WWF 95+ Group) encourages good forestmanagement worldwide.

Member organisations such as Boots, B&Q,Sainsbury’s and the Body Shop have committed toincrease the proportion of forest products tradedor consumed by their organisations that comefrom well managed forests.

The emphasis on FTN members is to eliminateillegal and controversial sources of supply as amatter of urgent priority.

RestoringWWF aims to have 20 Forest Landscape Restoration

programmes under way in the world’s most damaged

forested regions by 2005.

Many countries are suffering from forest loss anddegradation, which damages watersheds, erodessoil and disrupts climate, bringing misery tomillions of rural people. WWF believes that thissituation can be reversed by restoring once-forested land to a more authentic state.

For example, many of Sumatra’s forests have beenlost, and need to be restored – as do the benefitsthey bring, such as flood prevention. Well-established tree roots significantly help to stabilisethe soil, but once they are destroyed, rain erodesthe open ground. Recent flooding caused byrampant logging left more than 200 people dead.

For more information about WWF-UK’s Forest Programme,visit our website: www.wwf.org.uk/researcher/issues/forests

Timber from a well-managed, certified forest in Brazil. 14 PROTECTING ENDANGERED SPACES

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RIVERS AND WETLANDS

THE PROBLEM OUTLINED

The source of lifeEveryone needs freshwater. Our very life dependson it. We use it at home for drinking, cooking,bathing and cleaning. Farmers need it to grow ourfood. And industry needs it to make the productswe use every day. All these needs are provided byliving wetlands and river systems, whose biologicalengines clean, store and release the water that isessential to people and wildlife.

People and wildlife are under threatHowever, although it is a precious and finiteresource, freshwater has been mismanaged byhumans for years. And the consequences ofcontinuing along the same path are alarming.

Freshwater ecosystems are in far worse conditionthan forest, grassland and coastal ecosystems.Freshwater wildlife indices have declined by 50 per cent in the last 30 years. At present more than

At present more than one billion people lack access to safe drinking water.

one billion people lack access to safe drinkingwater. With the world’s population increasing,and if present trends in water consumption andmanagement continue at their present rate, twothirds of the world’s population could experiencewater shortages by 2025.

A downward spiral of water degradationHuman population growth is the primary cause ofthe increase in water use. Poor water management,climate change and the undervaluing of water(both as a commodity and for the ecosystemfunctions it performs) compound the downwardspiral in water degradation.

THE FUTURE

Improved management of wetlandsWe are witnessing a water crisis today – and it is the bad management of water, rather thanhaving too little, that lies at its heart. Wildlife, theenvironment, and billions of people are alreadysuffering the consequences.

Freshwater wildlife indices have declined by 50 per cent in the last 30 years.

PROTECTING ENDANGERED SPACES 1716 PROTECTING ENDANGERED SPACES PROTECTING ENDANGERED SPACES 17

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The central Yangtze region has more lakes thananywhere else in China. These lakes used to beconnected to the Yangtze river, where they playedan important role in removing pollutants, retainingflood water and preventing droughts. The free flowof water also allowed biodiversity to prosper.

However, due to unsustainable land developmentand ill-planned irrigation, these lakes have beendisconnected from the Yangtze river. This has hada devastating impact on the ecosystem. Rarespecies, such as the Baiji dolphin and finlessporpoise, now face extinction.

Supported by HSBC, and working in partnershipwith local governments, WWF aims to graduallyrecover ‘the web of life’ in the central YangtzeRiver basin – through policy work anddemonstration projects that re-link disconnectedlakes, support local economic development andcreate a network of protected areas.

For more information about WWF-UK’s FreshwaterProgramme, visit our website: www.wwf.org.uk/researcher/issues/freshwater

WWF is conserving key wildlife in the Amazon (above), the Rio Grande, andthe Yangtze, benefiting some 50 million people who depend on these rivers.

WHAT IS WWF DOING?

Conserving and restoring river basins WWF will promote activities to conserve or restore at least 50 large river basins crucial towildlife and people.

Changing practices in business and agriculture WWF will also promote efficiency in the use of water during the production of goods, theprovision of services and the growth of selectedthirsty crops.

Protecting and managing wildlife-rich wetlandsOver the next 10 years, WWF will champion theprotection and management of 250 million hectaresof freshwater wetlands, more than trebling thearea of protected freshwater wetlands worldwide.

Resuscitating three of the world’s major river basins

As part of its Investing in Nature programme,HSBC, the banking and financial servicesorganisation, is investing £12.7 million in WWF-UK’s global freshwater work.

HSBC’s investment will focus on resuscitatingthree of the world’s major rivers – the Amazon,the Rio Grande, and the Yangtze.

In addition, HSBC’s supportwill help protect andrestore an importantwetland habitat in the UK, thePotteric Carr Nature Reserve nearDoncaster, where WWF-UK is working closelywith the YorkshireWildlife Trust to provide a modelfor wetland management which can be usedacross the UK and Europe.

18 PROTECTING ENDANGERED SPACES PROTECTING ENDANGERED SPACES 19

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SEAS AND COASTS

THE PROBLEM OUTLINED

Home to an amazing variety of lifeThe seas around our shores are home to anamazing variety of life – dolphins, turtles, sharksand sea horses, as well as the mighty orca, thekiller whale. We even have deep-sea coral reefs asrich and diverse as those in the tropics. Our seasare vitally important for the huge resources theycontain – including some of Europe’s mostimportant fishing grounds, oil and gas reserves,as well as the enormous potential for renewables,such as offshore wind, wave and tidal energy.

Marine life and fishing communities are jeopardisedHowever, precious wildlife and important habitatsare being destroyed, and fishing communities arebeing jeopardised as fish stocks plummet.

Globally, the WWF marine species index hasdeclined by about 35 per cent since 1970. At least 40 out of 60 commercial fish stocks in thenorth-east Atlantic are being fished unsustainably,

with thousands of full-time jobs in the UK fishingindustry under threat.

The marine environment is increasingly at risk Millions of people rely on our seas and coastsevery year, not only for leisure and tourism butalso for its rich resources, and the jobs and incomegenerated by maritime industries – such as oil andgas, renewable energy and, not least, fishing.

Individually, each activity can impact negatively onthe marine environment. Together the effects aresignificantly magnified. There is an urgent need toensure that the different maritime industries areable to operate sustainably and efficiently, withoutadversely affecting the health of our seas.

THE FUTURE

An urgent need for efficient management of our seasIn order to achieve sustainable development of ourmarine environment, there is an urgent need toimplement efficient planning and managementsystems. Despite the UK being an island nation,no government has ever passed a comprehensiveMarine Act to help protect our marine heritage.

Precious wildlife and important habitats are being destroyed, and fishingcommunities are being jeopardised, as fish stocks plummet.

Maritime industries such as oil and gas and fishing can impact negativelyon the marine environment.

20 PROTECTING ENDANGERED SPACES PROTECTING ENDANGERED SPACES 21

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CLIMATE CHANGE

THE PROBLEM OUTLINED

The climate is changingThe world is warming fasterthan at any time in the last10,000 years. Globally, the1990s was the warmestdecade and 1998 was thewarmest year on record. The hottest day yetrecorded in Britain was 10 August 2003, whentemperatures reached 37.9°C.

The impacts are already being felt by people and wildlifeCities such us Chicago, Athens and New Delhi havesweltered under heat waves and seen death tollsrise. It is likely that climate change has caused theextinction of Costa Rica’s golden toad and hascontributed to local extinctions of American pikapopulations – a hamster-sized animal that makes itshome in the mountains of the western United States.

WHAT IS WWF DOING?

Campaigning for a Marine Act by 2005Oceans Recovery Campaign (ORCA)

WWF-UK’s Oceans RecoveryCampaign is calling for aMarine Act which will simplifythe hundreds of laws andpolicies that are currently failing the marineenvironment. To ensure the long-term protectionand management of wildlife, habitats and people’slivelihoods, WWF-UK is calling for thegovernment to bring forward a comprehensiveMarine Act by the end of 2005.

For more information about WWF-UK’s Marine and Coasts Programme, visit our website: www.wwf.org.uk/researcher/issues/livingseas

WWF-UK’s Oceans Recovery Campaign is calling for a Marine Act for thelong term protection of marine wildlife, habitats and livelihoods.

The world is warming faster than at any time in the last 10,000 years.Cities – like Chicago, Athens and New Delhi – have sweltered in heat waves.

ADDRESSING GLOBAL THREATS TO NATURE 23

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If temperatures continue to rise, polar bear numbers will be reduced andthe species may even become locally extinct.

The Arctic is one of the regions on earth whereclimate change is already being seen, and where the impacts are dramatic – there has been about a 40 per cent decline in Arctic sea-ice thickness duringlate summer to early autumn in recent decades.

Carbon dioxide is the main global warming gasCarbon dioxide (CO2) is responsible for two-thirdsof human-induced global warming and around 97 per cent of the CO2 emitted by westernindustrialised countries comes from burning coal,oil and gas for energy.

THE FUTURE

Renewables – the winds of changeRenewable energy sources – such as hydro, wind,solar and wave power – can satisfy our energyneeds while contributing negligible CO2. Offshorewind alone could generate enough electricity tomeet a quarter of current UK demand. Much of the resource remains untapped.

Using energy more efficientlyOf course, the cheapest, cleanestand safest way of addressing allour energy and environmentalgoals is to be more energy-efficient.

For example, if every household installed threeenergy-efficient lightbulbs, enough energy wouldbe saved in a year to supply all street lighting in

the UK. Or if everyone upgraded theirrefrigeration appliance to an A-rated

Energy Efficiency Recommendedproduct, emissions would be cutby the equivalent of 47 million

double-decker buses of CO2.

ADDRESSING GLOBAL THREATS TO NATURE 25

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WHAT IS WWF DOING?

At WWF-UK our focus is in the following areas:

Working with the UK government WWF is working to ensure that the governmentcontinues to play a leadership role in reducinggreenhouse gas emissions: globally, through theKyoto Protocol (the international framework toreduce climate change); and in the UK, through the EU Trading Scheme. The scheme sets CO2

emissions limits for a number of key sectors,such as electricity generating.

One Million Sustainable HomesMost of the UK’s homes have significant social and environmental impacts. For example, theresidential sector in the UK contributes around 27 per cent of the country’s energy use, anddomestic energy use is projected to rise by six per cent by 2010. It is therefore essential toreduce emissions from new and existing homes.

WWF’s One Million Sustainable Homes campaignaims to bring about the development of a millionnew and refurbished homes in the UK by 2012.

PowerSwitch! From coal to cleanThe power industry is the biggest CO2 emittingsector. Many electricity utilities are still operatingpower plants at low efficiencies and burning fossilfuels such as coal.

Globally, WWF’s PowerSwitch! challenge calls forall key sectors of society to be part of the solutionto global warming. WWF-UK is embracing thePowerSwitch! vision in the UK, where we arecalling for a CO2-free power sector by the middleof the century.

Supporting WWF in Thailand and the South PacificThe Asia-Pacific region is a priority region becauseof its increasing CO2 emission rates. WWF-UK islending expertise and support to WWF offices inThailand and the South Pacific, where they areworking to reduce emissions.

For more information about WWF-UK’s Climate ChangeProgramme, visit our website:www.wwf.org.uk/researcher/issues/climatechange

WWF’s One Million Sustainable Homes campaign aims to incorporateenergy efficiency and renewable energy into new housing developments.

Offshore wind alone could generate enough electricity to meet a quarter of current UK demand. Much of the resource remains untapped.

ADDRESSING GLOBAL THREATS TO NATURE 2726 ADDRESSING GLOBAL THREATS TO NATURE

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TOXIC CHEMICALS

THE PROBLEM OUTLINED

Living in a chemical worldIn the last 50 years man has created around 80,000 new chemicals. Some are in use all aroundus – in products from pesticides to cosmetics, babybottles to computers. Our 21st century societydepends on them. However there is a high price to pay for some of them.

Hazardous man-made chemicals are believed tohave contaminated every environment. Wildlife – including birds, polar bears, whales, frogs,alligators, fish, panthers and snails – is known tobe suffering. And up to 300 man-made chemicalshave been found in humans.

Wildlife and humans are known to be sufferingMale fish have been found with female sexualcharacteristics – in the worst cases they have beenfound growing egg tissue in their testes. And thereported increased susceptibility of harbour

porpoises to illness has been linked to impairedimmunity caused by high levels of bioaccumulatedindustrial chemicals.

According to some studies, the human sperm countshave dropped by 50 per cent in certain countriessince the 1930s, and in some cases the youngestmen have the lowest sperm counts. In the UK66,000 people suffering from new or existing skindisease are seen by clinicians each year.

We are all unwittingly taking part in anunregulated global experiment that needs to be stopped.

Two causes for concernWWF is particularly concerned about the impactsof two groups of chemicals.

The first group is called very persistent and verybioaccumulative chemicals that persist for a longtime and accumulate particularly in fat. Once theyare released into the environment it is extremelydifficult, if not impossible, to recover them.

We are all unwittingly taking part in an unregulated global experiment thatneeds to be stopped.

ADDRESSING GLOBAL THREATS TO NATURE 2928 ADDRESSING GLOBAL THREATS TO NATURE

Hazardous man-made chemicals are believed to have contaminated everyenvironment. Wildlife and humans are suffering the effects.

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The second group is called endocrine disruptingchemicals (EDCs). They can mimic, block orinterfere with hormones such as oestrogen and as a result, they can hijack normal biologicalprocesses and may cause neurological, behavioural,developmental or sexual defects.

THE FUTURE

The need for reformEveryone, including the chemical industry, agreesthat reform of the system to regulate chemicals islong overdue. The European Commission, whichregulates the use of chemicals in Europe, hasadmitted that 99 per cent of the volume ofchemicals on the market is inadequately regulated.

WHAT IS WWF DOING?

WWF-UK’s Chemicals and Health Campaign For the first time since 1981 European chemicallegislation is undergoing a major review. ThereforeEuropean governments have a rare opportunity toensure a safer future for our children and wildlifeby putting in place a robust new ChemicalRegulation. The campaign is:

Lobbying governments and MEPs

WWF is campaigningglobally for the properregulation of hazardouschemicals – replaced wheresafer alternatives exist, orbanned where necessary.

As well as taking the casedirectly to the European Union, we are alsolobbying governments in Westminster, NorthernIreland, Scotland and Wales to take urgent actionto ban these chemicals.

Informing the public

We are raising awareness and gathering supportfrom the public and organisations who share ourconcerns. So far, we have collected more than56,000 signatures of concerned people for apetition that will be presented to the EuropeanParliament later this year.

We are also providing practical advice to people onhow to minimise their exposure to hazardous man-made chemicals in their everyday lives.

For more information about WWF-UK’s Toxics Programme,visit our website: www.wwf.org.uk/chemicals

stopthe

chemicalcontamination

of our children

and wildlife

ADDRESSING GLOBAL THREATS TO NATURE 3130 ADDRESSING GLOBAL THREATS TO NATURE

So far, WWF-UK has collected more than 56,000 signatures for a petitionthat will be presented to the European Paliament later this year.

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WE NEED YOUR HELPNone of WWF’s vital work would be possiblewithout the generosity of our members, donors,supporters and volunteers. If you would like to joinWWF, make a donation, or keep up to date aboutany aspect of our work, visit our website –www.wwf.org.uk

PICTURE CREDITS

cover: M & C DENIS HUOT, STILL PICTUREScontents: E PARKER, WWFpage 2: M HARVEY, WWF-CANONpage 3: Above and below DIGITAL VISIONpage 4: E PARKER, WWF-UKpage 5: M HARVEY, WWF-CANONpage 6: M GUNTHER, WWF-CANONpage 7: DIGITAL VISIONpage 8: DIGITAL VISIONpage 10: STILL PICURESpage 11 E PARKER, WWF/FSCpage 12 E PARKER, WWFpage 15 E PARKER, WWF/FSCpage 16 STILL PICTURES

page 17 N BENVIE, OXFORD SCIENTIFIC FILMSpage 18 M LANE, WWF-UKpage 19 E PARKER, WWFpage 20 LAURIE CAMPBELLpage 21 DIGITAL VISIONpage 22 P J BANKS, WWF-UKpage 23 DIGITAL VISIONpage 24 DIGITAL VISIONpage 26 JUSTIN SWARBRICK, WWF-UKpage 27 STILL PICTURESpage 28 J SHAW, NHPA page 29 IMAGE 100page 31 WWF/B KELLY, MOUSETRAP MEDIAthis page E PARKER, WWF